Glazing is where many potters start to feel unsure. You might like the form you’ve created, but once glaze is involved, the outcome can feel unpredictable. Colors change. Surfaces behave differently than expected. Sometimes a glaze that worked once refuses to behave again. That uncertainty is exactly why professional glaze-making workshops exist.
At Abu Dhabi Pottery, glaze-making workshops are aimed at students who already know their way around clay and want answers instead of guesses. These sessions are not about shortcuts. They are about understanding why things happen and how to control them.
About Abu Dhabi Pottery
Abu Dhabi Pottery was founded in 1994 and is the UAE’s first-ever modern pottery studio. It has been honored as one of the UAE’s official Urban Treasures by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. That long history matters because glaze knowledge is built over years of testing, failure, and careful observation.
All glaze-making workshops are designed under the guidance of Master Potter Homa Farley. She is an award-winning ceramic artist, one of the 69 noted alumni of the Glasgow School of Art, and her work is held in three international museum collections. Her experience shapes how these workshops are taught, with a strong focus on clarity and discipline.
Understanding Glaze Materials
The first part of any professional glaze-making workshop is materials. Students learn what glaze ingredients actually do once they are fired. Many people use glazes for years without really knowing what is inside them. These workshops slow things down and make those materials easier to understand.
Instead of memorizing recipes, students learn how to read glaze formulas and recognize balance. This helps explain problems like crawling, pinholing, dull finishes, or unexpected color shifts. Once those issues make sense, they become easier to fix.
Health and Safety in Glaze Making
Glaze work involves raw materials, and not all of them are harmless. That is why health and safety are treated seriously in these workshops. Students learn how to handle materials correctly, how to protect themselves, and how to work safely in a shared studio.
At Abu Dhabi Pottery, safety is not treated as a warning at the end of the class. It is part of the process from the beginning. Professional practice depends on it.
Glazing Techniques and Application
Application methods matter more than most people realize. In glaze-making workshops, students test brushing, dipping, pouring, and layering. They see first-hand how thickness affects color and how overlapping layers interact.
This kind of testing helps students move away from random results. Instead of hoping for a good outcome, they learn how to make deliberate choices based on what they observe.
Kiln Loading and Firing
Kiln loading and firing are included in professional glaze-making workshops. Students learn how placement inside the kiln affects glaze results and why firing schedules matter.
Understanding heat work and cooling cycles explains why the same glaze can look different from one firing to the next. This knowledge connects what happens in the kiln to what appears on the surface.
Exploring Mocca Fusion
Advanced glaze-making workshops also introduce Mocca fusion. This technique uses controlled reactions between materials to create organic surface patterns.
Learning Mocca fusion adds another tool to a potter’s surface vocabulary while still keeping results controlled and repeatable.
How the Workshops Are Run
These workshops are structured carefully. They are shaped by Master Potter Homa Farley’s decades of experience and delivered in a way that allows students time to observe, test, and reflect.
Students are encouraged to document everything. Recipes, application methods, firing temperatures, and outcomes are all recorded. Over time, this habit builds confidence and consistency.
At Abu Dhabi Pottery, professional glaze-making workshops are for potters who want fewer surprises and more understanding when their work comes out of the kiln.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are professional glaze-making workshops for?
These workshops are best suited for intermediate and advanced pottery students who already understand basic clay work and want better control over glaze behavior and surface results.
What will I learn in a glaze-making workshop?
Students learn glaze materials, application techniques, health and safety practices, kiln loading and firing principles, and advanced surface methods such as Mocca fusion.
Why take glaze-making workshops at Abu Dhabi Pottery?
Abu Dhabi Pottery is the UAE’s first-ever modern pottery studio, founded in 1994 and recognized as an Urban Treasure. Workshops are designed under the guidance of Master Potter Homa Farley, an award-winning ceramic artist with works in international museum collections.
Homa was born in Tehran, Iran where she spent her childhood and teenage years. She has lived in the UK, and currently resides between Spain and the United Arab Emirates.
